Pre-service Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding School-Based Bullying

Pre-service teachers responded to two questionnaires exploring perceptions of school violence. Responses to the “Teachers’ Attitudes about Bullying” and “Trainee Teachers’ Bullying Attitudes” questionnaires suggest that teachers across all academic divisions view bullying as a serious concern with implications for their role within the profession. There were considerable differences regarding what was defined as bullying, with variability related to the potential of intervening to end the violence. Covert forms of bullying including relational, homophobic, and cyber were viewed as less serious than overt violence and therefore less worthy of attention. The research findings point to the importance of providing pre-service teachers with training regarding anti-violence strategies.